by Chris Hechtl
Desperate Defense
The First Terran Interstellar War Book 1
Founding of the Federation 4
Chris Hechtl
Copyright © 2017 by Chris Hechtl
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book and or portions thereof in any form.
This is a work of fiction. All characters, events, and locations are fictional. Some may be parodies. Some characters are with permission. Any resemblance of some characters and places to others are strictly in the mind of the reader. Grin.
Cover art by Chris Hechtl 2017. All rights reserved. The models are owned by their respective creators and used under the usage license. Some models were made by Chris Hechtl; others were purchased on Daz3d.com or Renderosity.com.
Proofread and copy edited by: Mike Boos, Duncan Anderson, Wayne Gaskin, Tom Stoecklein, Jory Gray, Tim Brown, and Poon Yee.
Professionally copy edited by Rea Myers.
Formatted by goodlifeguide.com
Book List:
The Founding of the Federation Series:
First Steps
To Touch the Stars
The First A.I. War
Stepping Stones
Cornerstone: Tales of the Founding of the Federation 2
Desperate Defense: Book 1 of the First Terran Interstellar War
Waking the Sleeping Giant: Book 2 of the First Terran Interstellar War (forthecoming)
The Wandering Engineer Series:
New Dawn
Fools Gold
Destiny's Choice
Ghost Station
Plague Planet
Pirate's Bane
Ghosts from the Past
13 Degrees of Separation
Jethro Goes to War Series:
Jethro Goes to War
First to Fight
No Place Like Home
Recruiting Drive
Gods of War
The Federation Reborn Series:
Battlelines
Pirate Rage
Retribution
Tales of the Federation Reborn
Horatio Logan Chronicles:
Enemy of my Enemy
Shelby Logan Chronicles:
Convoy
Independent Anthologies and Short Stories:
Multiverse 1
Multiverse 2
The Bootstrap Series:
Bootstrap Colony
Second Chances
Other Series:
Princess Rescue Inc
Afraid of the Dark
Dedication:
I'd like to dedicate this book to the late Carrie Fisher. You broke a barrier on the silver screen, showing the audience that ladies are far more than wilting flowers to be rescued by the hero, only to swoon at their feet. You will forever be our princess, however, and will be sadly missed.
Table of Contents:
Prologue
ACT I
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
ACT II
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
ACT III
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Epilogue
Author's Afterward
Cast
Reading Order
Appendix
Sneak Peek
Note on the timeline:
If you haven't read the stories in Cornerstone, Tales of the Founding of the Federation 2, I urge you to do so if you want to make sense of everything that has changed since the First A.I. War.
Prologue
An alien ship jumped out of hyperspace and into a familiar star system. A laser transmission was sent out the moment the ship's energy discharge was cleared.
As the ship shaped a course to the inner star system, its message was eventually received and processed. Warships went on alert at the news of the encounter with the unknown race's ship. Debate among the appropriate leaders was quick and to the point. As the debate reached its inevitable conclusion, the warships in the star system finished their replenishment. A fast reaction force formed up and got underway. A series of fleet train vessels lumbered along in their wake to keep them replenished so far from home.
The cruiser had plotted the enemy ship's course and potential destinations. Navigators used their own star charts to plot potential additional destinations that the ship may have gone to. The military leaders choose the most likely to go to first. The second runner-up was only a few light years away.
When the cruiser got into the inner star system, it transmitted all of the sensor data and conclusions from its tactical section to the fast reaction force. The tactical sections on each of the warships would undoubtedly pick apart the information and conclusions and then draw their own conclusions from the supplied raw data.
By the time the cruiser had arrived at the port, a dispatch ship had been loaded with the precious data and was ready to get under way as well. It took off in the opposite direction to call in more warships. The intrusion by the unknown ship in the neutral zone could not be tolerated. A harsh response was called for to make sure they learned not to go beyond their own boundaries. Should the opportunity arise, well, the potential for conquest was not left out.
The hunt was on.
Act I
Chapter 1
August 2232
Planet Eden in the Pyrax Star System
“Such a beautiful world,” Menolly Lagroose murmured as she sat in her husband's arms and looked out across their rustic porch to the setting sun.
“Yeah, it is,” her husband murmured as he kissed her on the top of her head. She looked up and smiled at him, aware that he was more interested in what was in his grasp over the view.
“Hedonist,” she teased, stirring under the blanket. They'd oriented the porch swing and windows to get that gorgeous view whenever they wished.
He snorted and kicked the swing a bit to rock it a bit more. She reached up and wrapped a hand around his head to pull his lips down for a kiss. It was awkward for him, but he didn't complain.
“Now who's being hedonistic?” he asked as she released her prey, for the moment.
She snorted and poked him, then settled down to look out at the view. “I miss times like this.”
“I know. Enjoy it while you can. Once the little one comes …,” he shook his head.
“That bad?” she asked softly, clearly amused by him.
“Bad enough,” he said as he looked over to a sleeping Max. He shook his head. Despite the rejuv the two of them had undergone while in stasis, Max was aging faster than he should. His muzzle was graying and he was moving slower. The doctors said he had trouble with his hips. He was prone to sleeping more and more.
“Hey,” Menolly murmured, poking him harder.
“Wha? Sorry,” he said, blinking and looking down at her.
“Don't get maudlin on me, bub,” she warned.
“Am I that obvious?” he asked as he stroked her hair and shoulder with his free hand. The other arm was currently in use as her pillow.
“To me and to those close to you,” she murmured.
“Sorry.”
“No, you aren't. But I'll forgive you if you behave.”
Jack opened his mouth to say that he would, but he saw Max snort and then flick his ears and tail. “Shut up you,” he growled, looking over to the dog.
Menolly looked up at him in surprise, a little hurt, but then saw who he was looking at. She turned to look at Max. “Playing possum?” she asked.
“Something like that,” Jack grumbled just as Alan called.
“Duty calls or at least Alan,” Jack sighed.
“It was inevitable. I wish he'd wait until Monday, but he's probably got something cooking,” Menolly said as she let him up. She stretched and then smirked a little as she saw her husband's admiring gaze. “Like what you see?”
“Don't I know it!”
“Go answer Alan's call. We both know what happened the last time you didn't,” she said, voice darkening as she got up carefully.
“Now who's being maudlin?” he accused. She rarely ever brought up those dark times when they'd met.
“I'm not. I'm … you know what, never mind,” Menolly said as she padded off sans shoes to the house. The screen door opened. “I'll get dinner started while you get a SITREP.”
“I can help,” he protested.
“Sure you can. You get the cleanup,” she said with a grin through the screen at him as she went inside.
He chuckled, acknowledging his defeat. He saw Max's tail flop a few times.
“Don't get cute, bub. You can dry the dishes too,” Jack said as he stretched and opened the call. Max whined just as Alan's voice cleared. “No, you don't get to wash! The last time you did that you licked the plates clean and called it good!” Jack growled. “Hey, Alan,” he said in a different tone of voice as his implants blinked Alan's portrait on his HUD.
“Talking to the mutt again I see,” Alan chuckled.
“Yeah,” Jack said as he folded the blanket. It had been knitted in town, another local product. It was nice and rustic, with a deer knitted into the center. It wasn't quite perfect, but he was fine with it. Menolly liked it. It wasn't quite as warm as the fleece-lined blankets or their comforter, but it was nice for outside to keep the chill off.
“What's up?” he asked as his fingers flicked the blanket into approximate folds and then flipped it over the back of the swing. He was aware Menolly would come out and fold it her way later. She was like that, into little details now that she was pregnant. That and odd cravings, demands for massages, and a bit klutzy. He was still nursing a few bruised toes.
At least the morning sickness was over he thought. He'd rarely experienced that with Aurelia and their three kids he thought with a brief pang.
“Just thought I'd check in. We've had a minor crime wave, but we caught the culprits. Kids again.”
“I see. Well, glad they were caught. Orestes handled it?”
“As always, so you don't need to be involved. The families were a bit upset. Two were on record with prior warnings for antics. Kids these days …,” he sniffed.
“We all got into some mischief growing up. It's the quiet ones that can get into the most trouble; they get egged into things that frequently sink them over their head. No one was hurt?”
“Nope.”
“Good,” Jack said with a nod of approval.
“We've had thirty births since this morning. A bulk of them are Neos as expected. We've got our own mini baby boom going on it seems, especially in some of the Neo enclaves,” Alan reported.
“Just as long as they understand they have to feed and educate those kids. We might need a social services department soon to check in on that.”
“Spare me more intrusive government agencies. There is a reason I went to space. And a reason I signed on here,” Sheriff Tupper growled.
“Sorry. I'd sic someone else on it, Alan, you know that.”
“I do. But my people would be the ones enforcing things.”
“If it comes to you, then you know it is going to be serious,” Jack said. “But, we're currently borrowing trouble so let's not go there. Anything else?” he asked in a different tone of voice.
“No. Well, yes, we've got another ship coming in.”
“That makes number seven?” Jack asked eyebrows up in surprise.
“Yes. They transmitted their clearances to us this morning. They've got fifty thousand people on board, Jack,” Alan said.
“Well, I'm sure we'll find some place to put them,” Jack said with a shake of his head. He had a team working on prepping for incoming colonists. They had temporary housing in Landing, big apartment complexes, plus additional apartment complexes in some of the other growing cities. Most of the people on the planet liked to spread out on to their own homestead.
“Whoops! Gotta go. We've got a claim dispute. Another one … looks like a border dispute. I'll have to send someone out in the morning if I can't resolve it remotely.”
“I guess we need to lock that boarder down hard. Send in another survey team?” Jack asked.
“I don't know if it will do any good. Someone's bitching that the survey markers have been moved,” Alan said, reading the report out loud. He swore.
“We need more GPS in orbit then. Mark the survey with waypoints so no one can get cute like that,” Jack said. “And use identifying markers that they can't move. Like rock formations.”
“Right, since some people get cute and cut down trees,” Alan sighed. “Okay, I'm on it.”
“We'll be in tomorrow morning,” Jack said as he heard Menolly start to sing softly to herself as she cooked. “But not too early,” he said with a grin.
“I know what that means,” Alan chuckled as he hung up.
~~*^*~~
Jack, Max, and Menolly remained quiet as they returned to town. Jack looked over to see Max with his head out the window as usual, enjoying the breeze. He snorted. Menolly saw where he was looking, shook her head, then her left hand caught his right and squeezed.
A few minutes later, he pulled the truck up to the hospital's front door and insisted on opening the door for his wife. Menolly murmured he didn't have to, but they both knew she liked it when he was a gentleman. She ducked her head as she dimpled and then ran a hand over his chest. He pulled her in for a hug and then kissed her goodbye. “See you after work?” he asked teasingly, already knowing the answer.
She smiled to him. “Don't be late,” she accused, shaking her finger under his nose to him.
He was tempted to snap at the finger but instead held his hands up in supplication. “I'll behave. Him though,” he indicated Max.
“That goes for you too. And you can keep him honest fur face.” Max whined at her, then nodded. “Right. No chasing rabbits and you better not come home all muddy again. If I have to give you another bath, I'll use the lye soap, bub,” she growled, turning to shake her finger at him.
He gave her his best puppy expression.
“I mean it. Stay away from porcupines, and this time stay away from skunks!” she scolded.
Max rolled his eyes but nodded emphatically at that order. Once was more than enough for that experience, plus the cleanup afterward.
~~*^*~~
Jack returned to the colony's administration building almost reluctantly. After passing through security on the way to his office, he snagged a cup of coffee. He caught a doughnut from an unguarded box on his personal assistant's desk. He saluted Jasmine with it in passing when she looked up to protest. She opened her mouth to protest, then shook her head repressively.
Max took a sniff of the box, but Jasmine's growl made him back off hastily.
Jack shucked his jacket and tossed it on the coat rack, then flopped into his chair. He quickly worked through the basic inbox and then checked on the thing that really mattered.
He had already gotten a download of his mail and had gotten hourly implant updates about the incoming ship. It only took a moment to scan the latest report about the incoming colony ship. She was the Susan Constant, one of the latest Lagroose ships built by his son on her maiden voyage. Captain Ed Siever was her skipper and had already sent seven emails to his inbox.
It boiled down to the usual; the captain wanted a fast turnaround. Jack shook his head and checked the latest video. He watched it patiently, taking notes. “Everyone had been medically cleared in Sol before we took them on board. We can transmit their clearances when we are in orbit,” the captain offered.
Jack hit the pause and then recorded his response.
“We're still going to check everyone, including your crew. We don't know if they have a bug that our people don't have. The last thing we need is another influenza outbreak,” Jack said with a growl. “We have had that twice already. I've made it clear we will not accept any colonists unless they both pass medical muster and have signed the Pyrax charter.”
He finished recording a few of his notes and then sent it off to be transmitted.
He puttered around with minor emails and such before he got the captain's response ten minutes later. Jack hit play and then watched the man.
The captain grimaced but then nodded. “Understood. I know it was in the general orders, but …,” the captain waved a hand. “We'll do anything we can to make this transition as quick and smooth as possible.”